latest
Microsoft Garage releases plenty of new projects with some being wacky and some more interesting with potential to grow into a real Microsoft app. The latter is the case of the new Photos Companion, an app that does what its name suggests: it's an Android (and iOS) app that lets you quickly transfer photos from your phone to the Photos app on a Windows 10 PC via WiFi. It works very well from my experience and might become my go-to way for sending screenshots to my computer.
Microsoft Garage's project keeps pumping up new apps and ideas for Android and the latest is Favorites Lock Screen. As the name implies, this is a lockscreen replacement app that puts emphasis on your favorite things. Unlike Microsoft's graduated Next Lock Screen, this one is still in its infancy and it shows. The icon is disturbingly low-res and the interface doesn't feel half as polished as Next. However, it could still be worth checking out if you'd like some news to go with your phone unlocking.
Microsoft Garage pumps out new apps very frequently, and while some graduate to become full-fledged products, others stay just a "garage" project: neat proof-of-concept, but not more. The latest app from it is Outings, a travel discovery app.
While Microsoft is undoubtedly better known for its productivity suite, the remit of in-house development studio The Garage is is a little broader and more playful. Not unlike the "20% time" projects at Google, Microsoft Garage is responsible for experiments that may or may not end up becoming fully-fledged products. The latest to see a full release after a few years of testing is Face Swap, an app that will automatically swap your face into any scene.
Microsoft Personal Shopping Assistant was originally released last year as a Chrome extension, and has slowly expanded to more web browsers since then. It has gained a somewhat unpopular reputation, due to Microsoft recently displaying ads for it in Windows 10. Still, if you happen to use it, you'll be happy to know that an Android version is in development.
Microsoft Garage's teams are bolstering with new ideas and different takes on existing ones. Every couple of weeks, sometimes even days, there's a new project being released under the Garage umbrella, and today marks the arrival of one of these: Trip Tracker.
We all have our own unique ways to read the news. Some like RSS apps. Some like Flipboard, or Yahoo News Digest. Others prefer to read the news direct on the website. There's yet another solution now: News Pro is a new app from Microsoft Garage, a department of the software giant that seems to have an unlimited stream of Android apps, and it aims to center the news around you and your profile, finding content that'll interest you.
Are Microsoft Garage's resources infinite? I sure think so. The program keeps fostering and releasing new Android apps on the Play Store faster than Kairosoft can pump out simulation games. Sometimes, they're quirky apps that just want to make your mornings worse and other times they're interesting apps that grow to become useful projects like Next Lockscreen and Arrow Launcher. Today's new releases could be either: they're limited in scope but have what is needed to be very useful in their niche.
Wake up! Wakey wakey... It's time to rise and shine. Come on, wake up silly! I said wake up! Argh. It's like you're ignoring me on purpose. What's this ridiculous game we keep playing bruh? You ask me to do something for you every morning and I'm always up and at'em because you need me to. Then you're all about not even listening to me. And you have the nerve to hate me for actually doing my job! Ungrateful human. Oh wake up, please. Sigh. I hate this game.
One of a smartphone's core functions is to contact your contacts, so you probably have a bunch of them. Some, maybe even most, folks would consider the default contacts app on their phone sufficient, but Microsoft is working on a piece of software for people who would say otherwise.
The Microsoft Garage team has graced the Play Store with more than a few interesting apps recently, some of which are actually useful. The latest project from the Garage is a note taking app called Parchi. It's designed to be quick and easily searchable, but odds are it's not available in your country yet.
Read update
Cut the crap, and give it to me straight. No subject lines, no signatures―just send me what matters.
Email is the digital version of sending out letters, but given that the metaphorical postal worker delivers these messages instantly, it's not uncommon for correspondence to grow increasingly brief. This email I'm about to send you doesn't contain four paragraphs. It's a single sentence, and I only want a one-word reply. Stat.
Microsoft is striving to be more experimental and branch out to other platforms with the Microsoft Garage project, which means we get some interesting stuff on Android. Not all of it is probably going to last, but hey, some good short-term fun. The latest app from the garage is Tossup, which can be used to gather opinions from your friends so you can make plans quickly and easily.
Next Lock Screen is certainly one of the most usable projects to come out of Microsoft Garage. It's a contextual lock screen made with busy professionals in mind, that not only displays notifications, calendar events, and incoming calls and messages, but also tries to guess which apps you might need based on whether you're at work, home, or moving around. A music player with controls is included as well, along with weather updates, and a quick option to start a conference call.
Microsoft's Journeys & Notes Wants You To Leave Breadcrumbs Along Your Way For Fellow Path Travelers
Microsoft's employees have a lot of free time on their hands, what with taking forever between each update to their Windows Phone platform and other priority stalling operations. They like to use this free time in the Garage, developing apps for Android, just 'cause y'know, it's fun to imagine yourself working on cool projects for once. After Bing Torque, this Journeys & Notes app seems like a mash-up of some features from Foursquare, Field Trip, and The Traveler.
"OK Google, what is Microsoft Garage?" Well, Rita, it's an idea incubator for Microsoft employees who like to dabble with things non-Microsofty in their spare time, like Android for example. They have a crush on us, but they still can't completely deny their allegiance to the quad colors of Redmond so they indulge by mixing in some Bing bangy bongiddy features. "Ah, thanks Google. Can you give me an example?" Sure Rita, that Bing Torque app they just released, though if you ask me, they need a copy editor for their Play Store listing: "It is like to have Microsoft’s Cortana running on your smart watch." That was a direct quote and it is like to read a torturous story for me.